Freedom of the Press 2008 - Slovakia

Status: Free
Legal Environment: 6 (of 30)
Political Environment: 9 (of 40)
Economic Environment: 7 (of 30)
Total Score: 22 (of 100)
(Lower scores = freer)

Press freedom in Slovakia is constitutionally guaranteed and generally respected, and independent media outlets freely disseminate diverse views. Defamation is not a criminal offense, though other regulations can be, and are, used to conduct criminal prosecutions. Journalists in both print and electronic media exercise broad editorial independence, and in general the heads of state-owned media enterprises are no longer political appointees. In 2007, legislators drafted the new Press Act; press freedom advocates criticized several provisions, including restrictions on content, the powers of intervention granted to the state executive, and the right of correction and mandatory access to media by interested parties (with no possibility of editorial intervention in terms of content or space). In a surprise decision, the Slovak Supreme Court refused to recognize the overturning of a libel verdict by the European Court of Human Rights, effectively upholding the original decision of a lower Slovak court.

Media freedom advocates noted that the new management of Slovak Public Television (STV) seemed to be exerting pressure on editors and journalists to provide more favorable coverage of the government. Nearly one-third of the staff of STV news programs quit amid allegations of political interventions in editorial policy. The atmosphere of pressure was enhanced by statements and parliamentary hearings on media in which, in the opinion of media advocates, parliament impinged on the oversight role of other institutions.

Most Slovak media outlets, including all major print outlets, are privately owned. Lack of transparency in media ownership remains a concern, as does inadequate enforcement of regulations on cross-ownership of media outlets. Electronic media are diverse and pluralistic, and many Slovak citizens also regularly watch television from the neighboring Czech Republic and Hungary. Slovaks enjoy growing access to the Internet, with nearly 50% of the population enjoying regular Internet service, including more than 90% of teenagers and young adults.